Securing means for doors and the like



March 4, 1969 LA VERNE R. OLSEN 3,431,001

SECURING MEANS FOR DOORS AND THE LIKE Fil'ed Sept. 19, 1967 Sheetof 2 n.m fi mmw mm m m m NM 6 ow 2 w. R M QM, v 0.6%. M m\ J, M m m?) 8. mm {mmW vw L Y L wmw E NW mm s March 4, 1969 LA VERNE OLSEN 3,431,001

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Laverne R. Olsen A r TORNE Y8 United States Patent Ofi ice 3,431 ,001Patented Mar. 4, 1969 3,431,001 SECURING MEANS FOR DOORS AND THE LIKE LaVerne R. ()lsen, Rte. 2, Box 152, Osage, Iowa 50461 Filed Sept. 19,1967, Ser. No. 668,891 US. Cl. 292-218 Int. Cl. Ec 3/04 3 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to improvements in alatching device for use in securing a pair of large doors or similarstructures, and which may also serve as handles for moving the doors.More particularly, the invention is concerned with a mechanism that iscapable of securing two relatively large movable members to preventrelative movement between the members at their meeting edges.

Barns and other outbuildings used for housing livestock or the storageof various forms of materials, including large mobile mechanisms, willfrequently have a very large opening which is closed by a pair ofmovable doors or panels. There may be variations in the manner ofnormally supporting the doors, either by hinging the same for rotativemovement, or alternately, by sliding the same laterally between open andclosed positions. Regardless of how the doors are supported formovement, some form of latching mechanism is generally provided tosecure the doors in closed position to protect and safeguard thematerials therein. There are a number of problems which are associatedwith the securing of large doors, and one such problem is the effect ofwind. In general, the wind will produce relative movement between thedoors, and this is particularly true if it can gain entry through otheropenings in the interior of the building so as to produce an outwardmovement of the doors. Such outward movement on the individual doorswill tend to cause them to separate along their meeting edges, and suchmovement will distort or destroy any normal latching mechanism.

One embodiment of the present invention uses as a latching mechanism aform of structural truss that serves a double function of providinghandles for moving the doors between open and closed positions, and alsoa latching mechanism that will securely hold the doors against relativemovement. Each portion of the latching mechanism includes two parts thatare rigidly held in spacedapart right angle relationship to the doorportion with a pivotally mounted member carried by one portion, andwhich secures the other portion to eliminate or minimize relativemovement of the two doors, because of the two point contact between thepivoted member and the portions of the other structure with which itcooperates.

An object of the invention is to provide a latching mechanism for largedoors composed of two individual portions each secured to a respectivedoor, and which portions are locked with respect to each other by apivoted member carried by one portion, which engages the other portionat two laterally spaced points of contact.

A further object is to provide a locking mechanism for large doors,composed of two parts, each of which embodies a truss-like construction,and further embodying a double latching feature that holds the adjacentedges of the two doors in relatively immovable relationship with eachother.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention maybecome evident from the following specification and claims, and from theappended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the latching mechanism with the parts in openposition with respect to each other;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the latching mechanism in the same position asshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a barn or outbuilding showing one possible useof the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a detail of a portion of the construction shown in FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawings, the invention will be described indetail. Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, general reference numeral 10'indicates in its entirety a latching device for use on large doors. Thestructure is composed of two separable parts which are respectivelyindicated by general reference numerals 12 and 14. The portion 12includes a bar 16 which carries two ears or attachments 18 and 20, eachof which has apertures formed therein for securing the member 16 to thesurface of a door. A second bar 22 is held in spaced relationship to thebar 16 by rigid connecting members 24 and 26, and said bar is attachedto the bar 16 by an angular portion 28 which joins bar 16 adjacent thesecuring ear 18. The member 14 is of similar construction, beingcomposed of a base bar 30 which carries the securing ears 32, 34, bothof which are formed with opening therein to receive securing means toattach the member 14 to the other door, as best seen in FIG. 3. Anotherbar 36 extends parallel to bar 30 and is secured to the latter by aspacing member 38, and an angular portion 40, the outer end of which issecured to the bar 30 adjacent the fastening ear 34. There extendsbetween the members 30 and 36 a rod 42 whose outer ends 42a and 42];extend through openings in the bars 30 and 36 so as to be pivotallyrotatable with respect to those bars. Rigidly secured to the pivotalmember 42 for movement with said member is a long link 44 and a shorterlink 46. The link 44 has an outturned handle 48 adjacent its outer end.Said link 44 and the link 46 are each formed with a slot indicatedrespectively at 50 and 52 that are aligned with each other and solocated that when these links are rotated relative to member 12, theslots 50 and 52 will circumscribe the connecting member 24 adjacent themembers 16 and 22, thus forming two points of contact between thepivoted links 44, 46, and the connecting member 24. The link 44 hasformed therein an aperture 54 which coincides with an aperture 56 inmember 22 that will permit the insertion through the two members of alock as a security means.

Having reference to FIG. 3, reference character 58 indicates in itsentirety a conventional form of outbuilding to which the presentinvention could pertain, such as a barn or storage building. Saidbuilding is provided with a large opening, indicated at 60, which isclosable by a pair of doors indicated respectively by reference numerals62, 64. As shown, the two doors 62, 64, are supported adjacent theirupper edges for lateral sliding movement on a conventional trolleystructure contained within a housing 66. With respect to the opening 60,as illustrated, the lower edges of the two doors are somewhat above theground surface, leaving a lower space indicated at 68. In manystructures of this type, there are no connections between the doors andthe ground surface, and the lower edges of the doors are held in guidingrelationship to the building 58 by roller devices that are supported onthe building surface on opposite sides of the opening 60 and asdisclosed in FIGS. 3 and 4.

In operation, whether the doors of the building structure are of thesliding nature, as disclosed in FIG. 3, or

whether they are hinged at their outer edges for rotating movementbetween an open and closed position, is of no significance insofar asthis invention is concerned. The truss-like members 12 and 14 may ineither instance be suitable to serve as handles for moving the doors 26,64, between open and closed positions. When it is desired to latch thedoors in a closed position, the pivoted member, composed of links 44,46, and connecting member 42, is grasped by the handle 48 and rotated inthe manner shown in FIG. 2 in the direction of the structure 12 so thatthe slots 50 and 52 engage member 24 adjacent members 16 and 22, therebyforming two spaced-apart points of contact with connecting member 24within the limits of the truss-like structure 12, and the handle 48merely rides on the upper surface of member 22. If it is desired to lockthe doors in a closed position, a conventional padlock is passed throughthe openings 54, 56, and secured in that position.

It will be appreciated that if the building is subjected to wind in adirection toward the doors, these can be no appreciable movement of thedoors towards the building, because they overlap the edges of theopening 60 of the building. Should the wind enter the building from someother opening and create an outward pressure on the doors, the latchingmechanism will hold the adjacent edges of the doors in relativelyimmovable relationship with each other, and the rollers 70 would holdthe doors at their outer edges. If, however, the rollers 70 are notpresent, or the doors are hinged at their outer edges, they would stillbe held in a secure relationship to each other at their adjacent ormeeting edges by reason of the latching device 10.

It is realized that those skilled in the art might readily conceive ofother embodiments of practicing the present invention, such as thecombining of the members 44 and 46 into a single piece of metal so as toenclose a substantial length of the member 24. However, a technique suchas this would still operate on the principle of using two spaced-apartcontact points, since the opposite edges of any slog which would engagethe member 24 would provide spaced-apart contact surfaces between themembers 16 and 22.

I claim:

1. A latching device comprising a first member adapted to be secured toa surface of one door, a portion of said member extending outwardly atright angles from said door, a second member adapted to be secured toanother door and in a position substantially coinciding with saidfirst-named member when said doors are closed, and latching meanspivotally carried by said second member and adapted for rotation in adirection towards the outwardly extending portion of said first member,and latchingly contacting said first-named member at two points whichare laterally spaced with respect to each other relative to and on oneside of the first-named door.

2. A latching device as claimed in claim 1, in which the pivotedlatching means comprise a pair of members that are held in laterallyspaced relationship with each other.

3. A latching device as claimed in claim 1, in which said first andsecond members are of a truss-like structure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 625,602 5/1899 Potter 292214891,667 6/1908 Browning 292--238 X 1,378,583 5/1921 Church 292-2381,394,278 10/1921 Cirac 292-205 RICHARD E. MOORE, Primary Examiner

